


The Crown's Con

by Summer_Meadows



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summer_Meadows/pseuds/Summer_Meadows
Summary: Merlin, Arthur, and the Knights travel to the neighboring kingdom of Bernicia in hopes of crafting a peace treaty. Bernicia, a flourishing kingdom, values honesty above all other virtues which is why, when a misunderstanding grows out of proportion, the visiting Camelotians must keep up an act that Merlin is Arthur's little brother, a member of the royal court.
Relationships: Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BabyStepsAreStillSteps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyStepsAreStillSteps/gifts).



“Yes, My Lord” Merlin replied with exasperation, as yet another chore was added to his rather long list of things to accomplish before their departure the following day. Arthur, Camelot’s most trusted knights, and Merlin were scheduled to leave at sun rise for a meeting in Bernicia. The hope was that this meeting would mark a momentous occasion to help bring about an era of peace in what would one day become Albion. 

Arthur’s expression turned to one of fond bewilderment as he marveled at Merlin’s impeccable ability to make the highest title in the land sound like a taunt. His mind drifted back to the memory of the first time he met the man standing before him, whom has now been loyally by his side for more than seven years.

His flashback consisted of a much younger and ganglier Merlin bowing in mock reverence as he said, in a similar tone to the one Arthur had just heard mere seconds ago, “Sorry, I meant how long have you been training to be a prat, *My Lord*.”

Arthur chuckled under his breath, but then forced his mind to return to the speech he was struggling to write as Merlin went to work making up his bed. 

He had now been working on the speech for what he would guess to be about an hour. Yet, despite all his efforts, he found himself with only a pile of wadded up rejected attempts and an alarmingly blank piece of parchment that read only one sentence: “Hello King Lyfall and Queen Gloriana, I thank you for your hospitality in inviting me to your kingdom and look forward to forming a strong alliance between our kingdoms.”

Arthur calculated in frustration that at his current rate of one sentence an hour, it would take him a week of sitting at his desk before he produced the proper length speech he needed to give upon his arrival to Bernicia. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a week. By three days’ time he would be sitting in the Palace of Bernicia and it was crucial that his visit be a successful one. 

However, Arthur wasn’t terribly worried. Despite the pressing deadline, he had every faith that he would awaken tomorrow to Merlin handing him an already written speech that he could simply skim over and quickly memorize. Though he would never, under any circumstances admit it, Arthur admired Merlin’s writing style. He was careful to cover up this appreciation with comments like “needs a polish” when, in reality he was really thinking “thank goodness, I would have never been able to write this in one night.” He frequently wondered how a man who grew up as a poor peasant in a farming community could surpass a royal’s writing ability, who had had countless tutors throughout childhood and young adulthood. He reasoned that it must have been all of the reading Gaius had Merlin doing that allowed for him to develop a surprisingly expansive vocabulary and strong writing ability.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, the door to Arthur’s chamber was thrown open with enough force that a thud resonated throughout the chambers as the solid wood of the door hit the wall behind it. Arthur knew exactly who it was; only Merlin entered the king’s chamber so irreverently and without even so much as a knock. 

Merlin bounded in and, exactly as Arthur predicted, he carried under his arm a scroll. 

“Let’s have you, lazy daisy” Merlin said in a chipper tone.

Arthur groaned and said in a half-asleep voice, “I should make it illegal to have this much energy in the morning.”

Merlin only grinned and went to work pulling Arthur out of bed.

When Arthur was on his feet, Merlin presented him with a scroll which contained the entirety of the speech Arthur had failed to write the previous day. Arthur was internally grateful but covered it up with a snippy comment about it needing revisions.

Outside the castle, it was a beautiful sunny day. As they prepared to depart, Merlin hugged Gaius in farewell and Arthur placed a goodbye kiss on Gwen’s cheek. Merlin then helped Arthur onto his horse and prepared to mount his own.

Within a minute, Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the round table were ready to ride. Gwen’s eyes twinkled playfully as she prepared to say something she was perfectly aware would cause a reaction from her husband. In a loud voice she called out from her position on the castle steps, “Be careful, Merlin please do take care of our king.” 

Merlin, realizing Gwen’s intention, turned and said with a grin “Of course Gwen, I always do.”

Arthur spun around and said in an indignant tone, “now hang on, I think you’ll find the opposite is true. I am always having to fight bandits, thieves, or some other lot that wants me dead while you, Merlin, lie down and hide. Honestly, you protect me…I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I should have you made court jester, you complete and utter clotpole!”

Gwen smiled at her husband’s indignity and Merlin rolled his eyes and said, “you had better not say that in Bernecia.”

Arthur looked puzzled and was about to respond when Merlin said with a teasing tone, “I hear the punishment there for thievery is a week in the stocks, and you have, once again, stolen my word.”

Arthur laughed as he retorted “Ah, well if I am so unfortunate as to spend some time in the stocks I will be sure to ask your advice, after all they seem to be one of your favorite hangouts with how often you’ve frequented them throughout the years.”

With that Arthur had his horse take off in a gallop before Merlin had time for one of his infamous quippy responses.


	3. Chapter 3

After seven hours of uncomfortable bouncing on one of the royal stable’s chocolate brown steeds, Merlin was grateful when the sun retreated to the horizon and Arthur called out that it was time to stop for the night. Merlin sprang off his horse, happy to be on his own two feet again. No matter how many expeditions and adventures he rode into along side Arthur, he still found horseback riding to be frustratingly uncomfortable. In the tiny village of Ealdor, there were only a couple of horses and they were plow-horses and were never really ridden, and certainly not by Merlin. 

Merlin had never sat upon a horse until embarking on his first hunt with Arthur. He remembered observing the horse in confusion as he wondered how to get his gangly-self atop the towering animal. Arthur, of course, was no help and did not miss the opportunity to tease Merlin when he finally did manage to mount in a less than graceful manner. 

Merlin, after a few moments of tottering back and forth, thought he had gained his balance. He then replicated the clicking sound he had heard Arthur make when he wanted his horse to start moving. However, he quickly came to the realization that while he may have managed to keep his balance while still, moving was another story. As the horse began to trot, Merlin felt himself falling and it took every ounce of will power to refrain from using his magic to suspend himself in air and keep himself from hitting the ground. He was well aware that Arthur was watching him, as to be able to make fun of him when he inevitably struggled to ride with the same ease as Arthur, who had been riding since before he could walk. With the young prince’s eyes on him, he refused to risk him seeing his magic and resigned to hitting the ground with a thud.

His first ride occurred around eight years ago, back when he was slightly more careful with using his magic in front of Arthur. True, he had been using his powers in front of the royal dollophead since their second encounter with each other, but he still felt it necessary to make at least some attempt at subtly. 

However, now that he was eight years into his friendship with the young king, he sometimes questioned if Arthur even had peripheral vision. He had blatantly used magic in front of the royal prat countless times and Arthur never seemed to notice. Merlin wondered how Arthur explained the many oddities that occurred because of Merlin’s powers. For example, during their frequent fights with bandits or enemy soldiers, how trees always just happened to fall on the enemy and never on the knights of Camelot. Knowing Arthur, he probably just thought the royal forest had termites that caused wood to fall unexpectedly or didn’t notice entirely. If the same problem with losing his balance on a horse had been taking place currently, Merlin would have simply used his magic to keep from falling off with confidence that Arthur would not notice the shimmer of gold in his eyes. 

As he unsaddled the horses for the night, Merlin continued complaining aloud about his growing soreness. He then went to work unpacking the bag in which he had supplies for dinner. He pulled out an array of vegetables that Gaius had packed for him and began to slice and dice the carrots and radishes for his signature stew while commenting on how unfortunate it was that Bernecia was such a far ride from Camelot. Arthur rolled his eyes at his manservant’s complaining yet knew that should he choose to tease him about it, he would be bombarded with comments about his having ‘extra padding’ that protected him from the soreness Merlin was ‘forced to endure.’ Try as he might, Arthur had never managed to come up with a proper comeback to Merlin’s comments on his weight and therefore chose to avoid the topic and settle with rolling his eyes at Merlin’s grievances. 

The knights, Arthur, and Merlin ate their suppers around the fire as Gwaine regaled them with stories about his favorite memories in the taverns around Camelot. After they had finished, Merlin went to work washing the dishes while the others set up their sleeping sacks. 

The ground in the clearing they had chosen was unfortunately fraught with lumps from tree roots and the spot in which Merlin was left to sleep in was particularly uncomfortable. No matter how he tossed and turned he could not find a comfortable position. With a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate of a sleepless night.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later, Merlin’s ears were met with the sound of a bell announcing their arrival in Bernicia. The group rode on horseback through the town and towards the towering palace that loomed high into the sky. The marketplace was bustling with commotion as people went about their daily lives, stopping only for a moment to glance at the six foreigners from Camelot as they passed. Then, at the gate to the castle Merlin, the knights, and Arthur were met by a young man dressed in emerald green attire. The clothes were the color of Bernicia and indicated that he worked for the royal family. With a smile and a courteous bow, the young man introduced himself as Cedrick, the royal consultant for foreign relations to the Queen and King. 

The Camelotians unmounted as Cedrick motioned for the royal stable hand to take the six horses to the stables. They were then led up a winding staircase to a well-furnished room. Upon entering, Merlin noticed a beautiful view out the window of the sunset that was lighting up the sky in vibrant pinks, oranges, and reds. His attention was drawn from looking out of the window as Cedrick began to speak once more. 

Cedrick reverently spoke, saying “King Arthur I thank you and your companions for making this journey. The King and Queen look forward to meeting you; however, they are currently in a meeting. They will be finished shortly and then I will return to show you to the throne room. Please take this opportunity to rest after your long journey and if there is anything you need, let me know.”

Arthur nodded his head and responded, “Thank you for the hospitality.”

Cedrick bowed once more and exited the room. 

Merlin set down the bags he had slung over his shoulder and, grimacing in discomfort, began to rub his shoulder. Gwaine took note and asked what was wrong, prompting Merlin to launch into a retelling of how uncomfortable the lumpy forest floor had been on his back. Arthur did not miss the opportunity to do one of his favorite things, tease Merlin.

With an exasperated sigh, he cut Merlin’s complaint short as he said with a grin, “My apologies you had to endure such conditions. Tonight I shall have to precure for you downy mattress filled with the softest downy feathers gold can buy. That is, if one would be enough for you, perhaps two or three stacked upon each other would be more suitable. Also, since you found the ride so unbearable, we should have to acquire, for you, a downy cushioned saddle as well with stirrups made of solid gold. That is if you think that would measure up to your taste, Prince Merlin.”

Merlin only rolled his eyes at the king’s antics, which caused the knights to all burst out laughing. Arthur gave his classic playful grin which he reserved for moments when he was reveling in a successful mocking of Merlin.


	5. A New Perspective

\--Earlier that day--  
Cedrick woke with a start as he realized that today was the day the king of Camelot would arrive. He sprang out of bed as he began to think through the list of things he had to do before the arrival of the royal majesty and his companions. He began to count off on his fingers the tasks that lay before him. He had to, first, ensure that preparations were already being started for the feast that night to welcome the new guests, then check that the guest quarters were cleaned until they practically glimmered, third the royal stables had to be ready to house the extra horses…he continued to count off tasks until he had run out of fingers. It was crucial that this visit be a successful one for the future of Bernicia. 

Bernicia was a moderately strong kingdom, but an alliance with Camelot would be an excellent step in insuring peace throughout the land. Most people in Bernicia did not know a great deal about the kingdom that lay three days South of their border. Rumors were spread from visiting merchants that the king of Camelot was somewhat of a legend. For example, there were stories about a terrible fire breathing dragon that had plagued the kingdom until, according to the gossip, the king rode to confront this beast with only a small group of knights and a servant. The king, allegedly, won. Apparently, the king single handily defeated the dragon and it was never seen again. Cedrick was not sure if he believed all of the outlandish stories that circled around King Arthur, but he did know that Camelot was a very powerful kingdom that would make for a very powerful ally. 

As the royal consultant on foreign relations, he was responsible for arranging arrival times, helping the King and Queen draft alliances, ensuring the comfort and happiness of royal guests, and other duties pertaining to foreign relations so much of the responsibility to make this visit successful rested on his shoulders. He combed his fiery red hair nervously, changed clothes, and then went straight to the kitchens to discuss how the preparations for the feast were going.   
After numerous hours of work, he was certain everything was perfect. He had just sat down to rest for a moment when his head sprang up. The sound of the royal bells ringing had him on his feet in seconds. He rushed to the steps of the castle and waited. Soon, six men approached the steps. Four were in the traditional garb of the knights, chainmail and a red cape. The fifth also had the knightly attire but wore the royal seal of Camelot in addition. He identified this man, with his blond hair and vibrant blue eyes, as King Arthur. Finally, the sixth man appeared to be a peasant. He carried several bags and wore a dull red neckerchief. He had wavy black hair and blue eyes that shone with hidden intellect. As this small group of foreigners reached the steps Cedrick was careful to bow reverently, as to not offend the King before the alliance talks had even begun. He then motioned with a smile to his friend Sally, the royal stable hand, who led the horses away. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After leaving the room where he had left the Camelotians, Cedrick hurried to the throne room and waited. He was pleased to see the King and Queen enter shortly after, finished with their previous meeting. With a respectful bow he informed them that their guests were here, he then hurried to fetch the Camelotians. He made it to the outside of the room that held the visitors and had his hand poised to knock when he heard a conversation that made his heart stop. Arthur was talking to the dark-haired man in the neckerchief whom Cedrick had seen earlier. 

He heard the king apologize to the man for the sleeping accommodations the previous nights. In all Cederic’s years working with royals he could not think of a single instance in which a royal said the words “my apologies” to a servant. This led him to conclude that this man could not possibly be a servant as he had earlier presumed. His mind began to race as he pressed his ear against the door to listen in. The king was promising the man more comfortable sleeping arrangements in the future. He then heard a promise that made his jaw drop, a downy cushioned saddle with stirrups of pure gold. His conclusion was solidified, this man had to be some sort of royal, but who was he? The last words he heard from the king’s mouth answered his question: “Prince Merlin.” In pure panic he sprinted back to the throne room. 

“My King and Queen I have very important news” Cedrick said slightly out of breath.

“I just heard the King of Camelot talking to one of his companions and he referred to him as ‘Prince Merlin.’ He must be his little brother, however he is not dressed in traditional royal attire. We only have one royal chamber prepared; the rest of the knights were to be in the lesser guest chambers. Also, we did not include an additional place of honor at the feast for this prince.”

A puzzled look danced across the Queen’s face as she said, “I was unaware Arthur had any siblings. I thought Ygraine, God bless her soul, died giving birth to Arthur, leaving him an only child.”

“I, too, was under that impression” the king said, “we must have misunderstood…perhaps this Merlin was the child whom Ygraine, God bless her soul, died giving birth to, not Arthur. This alliance must work out, we must rectify this immediately.”

“Cedrick, do you think Arthur would be offended if this brother were given one of the seats intended for knights at the feast tonight” Queen Gloriana asked.  
“I do not know, your majesty” Cedrick said with a nervous tone, “I heard the King…well… I heard the King promising three downy mattresses and a saddle that was stuffed with feathers and had…had pure gold stirrups for this man!”

“Oh my,” King Lyfall said, “he must be very protective of this little brother. No, a lesser seat will not due. We will bring out an additional dinning throne. We will position him next to…my royal advisor. Yes! That way he will still be seated by someone of high status and will not be insulted. As for the trouble with his sleeping arrangements…he will be given the room across from King Arthur’s, have a chamber boy see to it that it is properly prepared immediately.”

“Yes, that will work!” agreed the Queen, “We must not panic, the changes can be adapted to while we hold the welcoming. Cedrick you may go notify our guests we are ready, we do not want to keep them waiting.”


	6. Chapter 6

There was a knock at the door and Arthur called out, “come in.”

Cedrick entered, though he looked slightly paler than he had previously. He bowed and then proceeded to lead Arthur, the knights, and Merlin to the throne room.   
Once they entered, the King and Queen stood and shook Arthur’s hand. Greetings were exchanged and the royal couple welcomed Arthur.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the Bernecian royals then turned to Merlin and exchanged a similar greeting. Percival, Gwaine, Elyan, and Leon looked at each other in confusion. Arthur looked absolutely dumbfounded as his mouth opened as if to ask a question, but no words emerged. 

Just as surprised as the others Merlin stammered “Uh…hello your majesties, thank you for your… hospitality.” Afterward he attempted to bow, but seeing as he never felt the need to show reverence to the royal he had spent eight years serving, the motion felt unnatural and strange. 

The King and Queen returned their attention to the entire group. 

The King spoke saying, “we welcome you, King Arthur, your brother, Prince Merlin, and your valiant knights. We wish for you to be happy during your stay with us. We heard that you had some special requests for your accommodations while here and, while we do not have a saddle stuffed with downy feathers and made with golden stirrups, we have had three thick downy mattresses moved to the royal guest chamber of Prince Merlin. We hope that will be suitable to your standard?”

Realization dawned on Arthur’s face as his brain processed where he had heard the idea of a downy saddle with golden stirrups as spoken by the king: from his own mouth. His eyes grew wide as he wondered how he had already managed to massively mess up the negotiations only ten minutes into arriving in the kingdom.

“Yes…of course that…is what I said I would get him, is it not? Yes, that will do perfectly for my… brother…Prince…Merlin.”

The others gaped at the king in utter bewilderment. No one was more surprised than Merlin whose mouth was open so wide he thought his jaw would dislocate.   
Arthur gave them a quick look that said, ‘play along.’

Merlin, though very confused, saw Arthur’s glance and responded, “Yes…that will do wonderfully, thank you.”

“Splendid, then Cedrick will lead you to your respective rooms so that you may prepare for the feast.” the Queen said with a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

“What…just…happened?” Gwaine asked the second the door was closed.

“Excellent question, I was wondering the same thing” Merlin said turning to Arthur, completely baffled. 

Arthur’s face furrowed in concentration as he tried to think the situation through.

He turned to his knights and Merlin and said, “They must have heard me earlier after Merlin was being a wimp about his back-”

Merlin, despite the seriousness of Arthur’s tone, cut Arthur off and said, “I was NOT being a wimp you utter dollophead!”

“As I was saying, they must have overheard…OH NO…I even called him…I called him Prince Merlin.” Arthur said bringing his palm to his forehead and wishing he could take back his earlier banter with Merlin. 

Gwaine, clueless to why he wouldn’t just say there had been a misunderstanding asked the question all of the others were thinking. 

“Why would you not just…oh I don’t know…say there had been a mistake and he’s not really a prince? Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely all for trying to convince the royal family that Merlin’s a genuine Bona fide Prince, after all he deserves to be treated like royalty, but won’t that hurt the chances of this alliance working out if they find out we lied to them?”

Arthur responded, “Oh it wouldn’t just hurt the chances of an alliance…it would crush all hope. Bernicia is grounded in the virtues of integrity and honesty and they value these two things above all else. If I had told them in the throne room that there had been a mistake, they would feel that I was trying to mislead them, by calling this buffoon,” he said gesturing to Merlin, “’Prince Merlin.’ I should have been more cautious, but I didn’t know anyone from Bernicia was listening. They would take me to be a dishonest man and call off the talks of treaty.”

Leon’s eyes lit up in realization as he processed what Arthur was saying.

“You are right, my Lord,” he said turning to Merlin and the other knights “Bernicia prides itself on truth and does not even understand the concept of sarcasm. They are renowned for their honesty and have even been known to punish the slightest lie with days in the stocks. Had King Arthur tried to explain that he was speaking in satire they would not have understood and regarded him as untrustworthy. We cannot let them know Merlin is not a prince. If they find out there would be gravest consequence.”

Elyan spoke up, “Alright…so then we simply have to get Merlin through the feast pretending to be royalty so that he made an appearance and then we can say…we can say he’s sick and is unable to leave his chambers.”

The other knights nodded their agreement.

Arthur spoke up immediately, “Wait just a minute… How is this clumsy oaf supposed to convince a room full of royals and nobles that he is a Prince? They’ll know he’s not…I mean he doesn’t know anything about royal table deportment!”

Arthur’s insults brought Merlin out of his silence as his worry and fear turned to indignation. 

“First of all,” Merlin began, “You’re talking about me like I’m not here, and I don’t appreciate that. Second, attending a royal feast really can’t be that hard if you manage to do it! Third, I have been attending feasts for around eight years, I’m not exactly new to the concept. Fourth…”

His rant was cut off by Arthur as he sighed in exasperation and said, “You’ve been attending feasts as servant, not a royal! There are rules about table etiquette that are very important if a banquet is to be successful…okay fine, when you sit down there are three different spoons to the left of your plate. Which do you use to eat the first appetizer of broth?”

“The one furthest to the left,” Merlin said without hesitation.

Arthur looked surprised, “How do you know that?” he demanded.

Merlin raised an eyebrow, “You said ‘when you sit down there are three spoons,’ guess who put those spoons there…the servants! Of course I know what you use them for because I put them there and I take them away one by one as you eat each course!”

“hmmm,” Arthur said slightly embarrassed, “interesting…okay what must you do before taking a drink from a goblet during a feast?”

“Wipe your mouth with your napkin” Merlin said confidently.

“Now how could you possibly know that?!” Arthur demanded.

Merlin raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “because I’ve been watching you do it three times a day, seven days a week, for nearly eight years!”

“Alright…I think it’s our only option so…I guess you’ll be attending the feast as Prince Merlin,” Arthur said shuttering dramatically at the title. 

Gwaine gave a grin, “Let’s do this your majesties,” he said bowing theatrically in front of Arthur and Merlin.


End file.
